German Equity Partners IV (GEP IV), a fund managed by the independent German private equity firm ECM Equity Capital Management, has acquired all of the shares in Bergmann Automotive, headquartered in Barsinghausen, in partnership with the company’s management in an ownership succession situation.   The Bergmann family, who since acquisition in 2000 have developed the company, established in 1956, into one of the leading manufacturers of cylinder liners for the European automotive industry, has become a minority shareholder in the company. The management team at Bergmann Automotive has also acquired a stake in the company through the transaction.   The

In a review of 1,700 deals done between 2007-2012, CMS’ fifth annual M&A Study shows that there are key differences in the risk allocation between the US and Europe – reflecting interesting cultural and regulatory variations in the markets.   "Now in its fifth year, the M&A study is fascinating reading for businesses looking to do deals across borders, and understand the norms in other countries," says Cornelius Brandi, executive chairman of CMS. "It exemplifies the value that CMS delivers to clients in providing both multi-national expertise and a deep understanding of the issues that drive businesses today."   Thomas

UK home builder CALA Group is to be acquired by private equity firm Patron Capital and Legal & General Group, the insurance, savings and investment management company.   The investment by both Patron and Legal & General will provide CALA with greater balance sheet capacity and the funds to add significantly to its existing land bank.   This platform will enable the group to build on the positive momentum it has generated in recent years, with a medium term aim of increasing the size of the group substantially.   Under the terms of the agreement, Legal & General and Patron

 AXA Private Equity has raised EUR1.75bn for infrastructure investment, comprising EUR1.45bn in fund commitments in AXA Infrastructure Fund III and more than EUR300m in co-investments.   AXA Private Equity now has USD31bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia.   The amount represents AXA Private Equity’s largest infrastructure fund to date. AXA Private Equity Infrastructure now has more than EUR3bn of assets under management.   A quarter of the new fund has already been committed across four high profile transactions, including the acquisition of a stake in utility company Enovos from ArcelorMittal and also Poweo’s operational French wind

JH Partners, a private equity firm specialising in investing growth capital in consumer-focused companies, has agreed to sell its portfolio company CHEFS Catalog to Target Corp.  Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within 30 days, have not been disclosed. CHEFS Catalog is a direct-to-consumer specialty retailer of cookware, bake ware, cutlery, kitchen tools and cooking utensils. JH Partners acquired Colorado-based CHEFS Catalog from The Neiman Marcus Group in 2004.  Upon completion of the transaction, Target will combine CHEFS Catalog with the acquired assets of Cooking.com to create a new, wholly-owned subsidiary of Target aimed at expanding the company’s presence in the growing cooking and kitchenware market.  Both

NVM Private Equity has sold one of its long-standing investments, Interlube Systems, to a subsidiary of US based The Timken Company. The sale represents a money multiple of 3.0x on NVM’s original investment. Interlube is based in Plymouth, UK, and manufactures and markets automated lubrication products for use in commercial vehicles, cranes, quarries and heavy-duty production lines. Timken is based in Ohio, US, and engineers, manufactures and markets mechanical components and high-performance steel. Timken has been steadily adding to its portfolio of businesses and sees Interlube as compatible to its core product lines and power transmission acquisitions.
 NVM invested in

Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital (Chrysalix EVC), a cleantech venture capital firm and a member of the Chrysalix Global Network (CGN), has made an investment in MineSense Technologies, a provider of sensor-based sorting systems to pre-concentrate low-grade ores in the metal mining industry. The series A round was done exclusively by Chrysalix EVC and marks the first time the firm has invested in a start-up dedicated to mining technology. “Mining has always been a highly energy-intensive industry. However, it faces mounting challenges with declining ore grades and less favourable ore bodies, further exacerbating energy use and squeezing margins. Now is a